ROCKFORD — As President Barack Obama reviews options for how the U.S. can help Iraq deal with a military insurgency, two veterans who served there are thinking one thing: proceed with caution.

Marine Cpl. Noah Currier of Poplar Grove was among the first U.S. troops to enter several cities in March 2003. He arrived home from combat three months later and was involved in a vehicle crash at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California, that left him paralyzed.

“My unit was the first into Tikrit during the invasion and we were there for almost four weeks without a single casualty,” the 32-year-old said. “We were able to walk through the streets among the people and it wasn’t a hostile area. I feel for the people of Tikrit because they are peaceful.”

U.S. airstrikes remain an option, but Obama has ruled out sending ground troops to Iraq to counter Islamic militants who have sized control of Mosul, Bayji and Tikrit, and Kurdish forces who have overtaken Kirkuk.

“As long as it’s not boots on the ground or some type of heavy military effort, I think our country is better off,” Currier said. “It is going to take time, but if we interject too much on a regular basis, then we’re not really setting up Iraq for long-term success.”

For Ryan Curry, additional U.S. military intervention in Iraq is “100 percent pointless.” The Marine sergeant served 294 missions in a seven-month tour in 2007. He suffered brain damage and nearly destroyed his hearing in a roadside blast and received a Purple Heart in 2008.

The 33-year-old lives in Rockford with his fiance and three daughters.

“You can’t just establish a democracy in seven years. It takes time,” he said. “I prefer that we be done with it. If politicians promise one thing to get elected, then that’s what they need to stand by.”